Being able to translate information and command signals between different domains is valuable. This invention relates to communicating infrared signal messages to associated infrared receivers via MIDI signals and vice versa.
The term "infrared signal" ("IR") means radiation at infrared wavelengths. The signals are encoded in a language understood, for instance, by conventional home entertainment systems such as TVs and VCRs.
The term "MIDI signal" means a signal in the Musical Instrument Digital Interface language. MIDI is a hardware/software specification which makes possible the exchange of musical information between different musical instruments or other devices, such as synthesizers and keyboards. It is a language for sending performance information to musical instruments. There is a MIDI specification 1.0 which defines the language in terms of bit structures for each command in the MIDI language. Further details of MIDI are set out in the MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification, Document Version 4.1.1, February, 1990, published and distributed by the International MIDI Association of Los Angeles, Calif. 90056, Copyright 1958, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The terms "MIDI-domain" and "IR-domain," respectively, refer to the form which a specified message takes during signaling for respectively, MIDI and IR devices.
It is well known to use IR remote controls for interacting with home entertainment equipment such as VCRs, TVs, and stereos. The remote operates on the general principal of transmitting IR signals through the air to command units. Information is encoded using different bandwidths of radiation in the IR spectrum and sent at the various rates of between 500 and 1000 bits per second.
It is also known to use MIDI signals for communicating between different musical instruments or entities. This operates on the general principals of transmitting electrical MIDI signals along cables at the rate of 32,000 bits per second or 31.25K baud from one unit to another.
A need exists for communicating information between IR and MIDI formats or domains.